Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Over 120 kgs (265 lbs) of Fake Viagra Bound for America and Europe Seized

One of the largest seizures of Fake Viagra occurred this week in India. A local organization Enforcers of Intellectual Property Rights (EIPR) supplied the police with months of data on the illegal manufacturing and aided the authorities in their investigation.

On 4:00 p.m. Saturday, February 14, 2009 Haryana (India) police raided a supposedly closed manufacturing plant and seized 200 kgs. (440 lbs.) of counterfeit medicine, including 120 kgs. (265 lbs.) of fake Viagra.

The police found evidence that the Viagra drug was being manufactured on site and found the active ingredient of Viagra, sildenafil citrate, in its raw material form as well as packaged products ready for shipping. The spurious drugs were allegedly bound for shipment to the United States, Europe, and Canada.

The Indian police arrested eight people who were working at the company called Chem Pharma Company and are likely to press charges against them and the owner of the company Mr. Bhardwaj.

The investigation is continuing and more raids and arrests are anticipated. A majority of fake erectile dysfunction (ED) medication like Viagra is thought to be produced in India, Pakistan and China. These operations often involve underground criminal organizations which have been linked to terrorist activity around the world.

Due to this recent threat to public health, XStream Systems would caution consumers to buy ED medications only from licensed pharmacists and avoid online purchases from sources other than those supported by actual brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Wholesalers and distributors should verify inventory received. Given the sophistication of this batch of counterfeit drugs molecular authentication methods would be the best countermeasure to block any counterfeit products from entering their business.

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